River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-02-24
MADISON LETTER.
Things Personal, Political, Scientific,
and Social.
February II. lsS7.

! antipodes of the young boy who drinks is the
| old lady who talks. The latter avail themselves
| of tine publicity Of the passenger coach % dis
| seminate their opinions OF certain persons sup
| possibly their neighbors. Their conversation i,
/ directed toward some one particular person, but
| the opinions are delivered IN tone which
reaches the remOtest seat in sixty-foot coach
/ such an one boarded the train al one of the WAY
stations b., oud Eau Claire last week, with tive
! friends. lncy turned q seat, aud getting the
| two ladies opposite her, the orator Immediately
| began rehcaTsimg ALL the points ia discussion
which She had recently held with some Other
| woman, upon The merits OF still another woman
/ The way that old ladys tongue ran for twC
| hours was a caution TO all bachelors. Her nose
was perfect exclamation point, ana with every
/ "sez / to Miranda" she darted that member
together with rigid dexter digit, into the faces
| OF her two Wis Wis, who for a hundred aud odd
miles never got IN more than feeble yes o.
/ you dOn say as the orator OF the DAY drew
| back for new imitation, OF readJustment OF an
/ unruly set Of upper teeth. AS ! lett the car al
l the Junction | could see the black half mitis
/ saving the air, and beating time in rythmetlcal
/ unison with the deluge OF words which How I'd
III an undiminished torrent from the thin and
I Wriukled lips.
| Ioverheard a. we made the run between Elroy
and Camp Douglas. the expression of fear on the
/ part OF a number of passengers that the train
mel were mourning too great risk in running
around the almost continuous curves, single and
1 reverse, which constitute the line between the
| points named railroad man would have
found more cause for fear in the one OF two
low joints which were noticeable on the same
section. The TACT is that il the track is smooth,
there Is no more danger IN running around these
curves than there l. ON piece of stratg hit track.
The rails and lies are laid to meet the centri-
fugal pressure developed by the moving train.
The pressure Is. OF most western roads, estimated
upon the basis OF a train OF passenger coaches
travelling at the rate OF ninety-fv miles an
hour. ON an eight-degree curve the outer rail
IS raised four inches; on a ten-degree curve five
inches In running around a reverse curve the
outside OF the coach is four or tive inches
higher than the inside, or the side over the
inside rail As IL leaves one curve, aud runs on
a
the opposite side rises. When running al a
sharp speed, say thirty i've miles per hour this
operation is performed 50 quickly that ii ap-
pears 10 DE but one motion, when IN tact II is
three motions. The experienced traveller feels
assurance of safety in looking through the
front door window and seeing the coach ahead
sway into an inclined position as IL strikes the
curve, thereby meeting the outward pressure a
failure TO do which would roll the train into the
ditch in an instant. For hundreds OF miles the
Baltimore * Ohio Railway Is a continuous sue
cessiOn Of reverse curves, but all so nicely cal
culated, and the work of tie and rail laying so
perfectly performed. that jumping the track" is
the least Ofthe dangers TO be feared in making a
rapid run over the rOad-bed. The "heaVing of
the track IN the spring from the thawing Of the
cause OF derailment than the apparently reckless
running OF a fast passenger train around we'll
constructed curves
While on the subject OF railroads I would like
10 ask Tor specifications appertaining to the hint
thrown out by your st. Paul correspondent last
week. After prdiSing the Burlington road for its
enterprise IN DulNllDE from SIOUX AllN 10 81
Paul, anu in general taking care of itself, he
adds that Pierce county is more fortunate in
its last han its trst railroad" Why? The Omaha
has a liIe TO Sioux City it that is fortunate
for Pierce county. II has never been charged
with inability 10 take care of itself IL was
the fiTst road TO touch Pierce county, and great
We're the rejOicings over its advent II gave us
an outlet 10 Hudson tor nifty cents, for which
service our people had for Yeas paid three dol
lars, besides the suffering entailed by the ride
over the prairie. IL hauls -four at less than hall
the cost of overland transportation, and mer-
chandise at rates much below former charges
II hauls wheat INTO River Falls. without which
the big milP would have been transferred II
superior long ago, and the village left without
any visible means OF support. IL is true that for
a time, under the management Of one superln-
tendent, the service was iusuuclent-ln TACT.
could not have been worse. But that was
changed with the change of superintendent,
ana Tor the past four years the passenger service
has been prompt and reliable.
u is fashionable TO cry down the old and pra ise
the new; but such condemnation or such praise
is not always an evidence of either honesty or
intelligence in such criticism. IN this case, II
II an open question what benefit the Burlington
road is to the people of River Falls or Ellsworth.
Il is Il good thing for Prescott ana Maiden Rock;
5ut neither Prescott OF Maiden Rock derived
much benefit from che Omaha, any more than
the former places derive benefit from the Bur
lngtOn. Both roads are beneficial to Pierce
county. in its divergent interests; and Pierce
county has no reason 10 feel itself other than
| fortunate in having the two, and will be still
more fortunate when il Secures the third, touch
ing a section as yet unopened TO railroad
facilities
lit is suggested by Pierce county man that
/ the Omaha was unfortunate in its former and
| first agent l cOnCede that point without argu-
| ment. His timely resignation no doubt saved
the Omaha from complete d:ssolution.l
| The grea. strike in New York, which for weeks
has kept $1,000 men idle has at last collapsed.
| Initiated by mere handful of coal beavers who
| were receiving at the time two dollars per day
| for unskilled labor, il spread under the auto
cratic behest OF the master workman OF
Assembly 40 Of New York until it affected every
| interest in any way connected with the hand
| ling or use Of coal even 20 the wives ana chill
4 dren Of the strikers themselves The man VINO
| used his power over the ignorant dupes who
1 Obeyed his commands boosted that he had more
| power than the governor of New YORK and SAID
\ that he would stop every wheel in New Iorh
| unless the coal companies acceded 70 his de
| mGnds He did succeed in hamp ring the bust
/ ness Of the steamships and railroads centerinl
/ in New York, by calling ont the steyedore,
| and 'longshOremen: but the companies found
| new men, not sold to the slavery OF the One-man
| power, and with these pursued their business
| buying their Goa in other ports. Driven TO des
| peTation the wOuld-be autocTat ordered a strik'
of all engineers Of stationary engines IN the ele
| vators, on the docks, IN the brewerles, ana II
| the hundreds Of other interests employing steam
| as motive power. And here the autocrat
| power failed him As long as he confined hi
| mandates to tha ignorant and unskilled, he me
| with ready obedience When he addressed hi
| orders 10 the intelligent and skilled class repre-
| scented by the steam engineers, hey refused Z
| quit work, and the end came at once.
| This strike illustrates better than any of thu
| Others which have risen ana fallen during tni
| year past the danger, not 10 say the wickeunes
| of banding all classes OF WOrkmen OF the countrl
| in one organization, ana trusting il to men WHIT
| use IL TO further their own Interests. The Nerl
| possession Of such power by the class of mel
| who unfailingly attain the leadership, Is incen
tive enough 10 order strike involving tn
| welfare Of thousands. The possess ion Of IN
| power TO stop every wheel in New York
| afforded all the inducement necessary 20 carr!
| out the boast The refusal OF the Skilled engin
| eers 10 stop work because lew hundred nm
| skilled coal beavers preferred TO lie Idle ant
| live upon the charity of other Knights, rattle
than work for two dollars per day. is a preceden
! worthy Of emulation by other Worklnen. III
| organization of trades unions, such as the Typo
| graphical Union, or the brotherhood Of Loco
| motive Engineers is a wise and Judicious meas
| ure. But they are law TO themselves, OF thei
| craft, and TO their craft alone. IL would appea
| inconsistent and ridiculous for the Brotherhood
Of Engineers C. order strike OF the plg-sucker
| OF Chicago in order TO enforce raise OF wage
| OF a reduction Of hours on the foot board OF al
engine. But under this organization of knight
just such thing Is possible, II Il happtn ms L
| strike the massive intellect Of some master of
| District Assembly that that was the thing TO do
! The inconsistency Of II. or even the unaNallt
| biliy of it, don't weigh n particle. The orde
| 10 quit work reflects glory aud honor upon tn
almighiiness OF the master and the walking
| delegate j. at once instructed 10 promuisat
| the decree The days of this magnate are surel,
numbered. An intelligent foreman will no
| submit 20 such form Of tyranny as this AM
| the action of the engineers OF New 1Ork IS al
evidence that the beginning OF the end Is a
To turn from railroads and strikes TO the Leg
| islature and the interests of education, II Is
! pleasure 10 record the vote taken yesterday upol
| The bill TO repeal the one-mill school tax taw
| Amer a spirited debate the ayes and noes wer
| called upon the motion 20 indefinitely pustpon
| the repeal, and IL was carried by vote OF O. &
| >. When the bill TO repeal the law was mrs
] introduced il was confidently asserted by tn
movers for the repeal that il would carry all IN
southern part OF the state. u was looked a
| simply as county against county. and while
| county in the south paid big tax, II receives
in the north part paid small tax and receives
| back much more than II paid on the face O
| the proposition il did look unfair. But {
| analyze the operation Of the tax. 1t was fOun
1 that NOT the county, but the individual was a
| the bottom, and what appeared an injustice Z
! the county could but be admitted strict jus
| ticc 90 The individual. Alexander Mitchell, ii
| Milwaukee. with thirty millions Of money an
| one child to educate, paid big tax; while Johi
! smith, in Pierce county, with not dollar G
taxdble property 70 his pane, but with dozel
| little smiths 10 educate received through IN
| operations of this law, aid in educating hi
| children. This aid comes from the state-n0
| the county. or town, OF school district-iOr IL
the state that guarantees an education TO ever
| child wit hin It's borders The rich men OF ia
south and older districts OF the state pay
small tax upon their great wealth, making theI
no poorer. and the poor and struggling pioneer
| in the new sections Of the state educate thei
| children into Intelligent, industrious aud Law
| abiding citizens without which the wealth
| the rich as well as the stability OF the STATE
| would be in jeopardy. There is no injustice
the law, and every argument Is in favor Of jos
such a division OF the responsibilities ofeitizei
ship as contemplated aud carried ont in this la
! tor tbs esucatt0a Of the children OF the state.
| The Mugwump and Democratic papers 81
: | making great ADO ever fresldent CieNeland